Flashlight
by abyuntaewriter
Summary: Hailing all the way from chilly New York City, the family Connor - consisting out of father Joseph, oldest son Jordan and youngest daughter Amelia, move to sunny Florida for a new start at life. Moving into the recently available Spano residence, the young Amelia soon catches the eye of their charming scheming next door neighbor Zack Morris.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer:**_ _I do not own Saved By The Bell or any characters, media or anything other related to the canon of the original show. The only things I own are the original characters featured in this story and the plot of the story I have written._

 _ **It's all right, cause we're saved by the bell!**_

It was the last day of summer vacation and Zack Morris had every intention to spent it as leisurely as possible. The last twenty-four hours of lazy freedom before being confined to the suffocating walls of Bayside High, having to pretend to worry about homework he'd never make, being scolded and sent to detention by his good pal principal Belding, having to get up at unreasonable times in the morning to even get to school and watch as his former rival in love shows off his new girlfriend whom he had stolen right from underneath Zack's nose. Alright, _stolen_ might not be the proper term as Kelly was the one who ultimately decided and knowing the cheerleader, she just followed her heart innocently and purely. He couldn't fault her, nor could he fault Slater for being the victor of her love. But it still sucked, nonetheless.

So many things had changed at the end of last school year. Slater and Kelly got together, Jessie's father remarried and she had to move away with her family which left the house next door creepily empty and abandoned. Jessie and Zack had been neighbors and friends since forever, the thick, old tree connecting his bedroom window with hers so they often visited each other unannounced for small talk or actual advice on situations. But with her gone, that tree was nothing more than a tree.

Zack intended to spend all day in bed, sleeping, dreaming, being as lazy as he could be. Unfortunately, sleeping in was not begrudged upon the young troublemaker as several moving vans pulled into the street. The sound of the radio blasting from one of the vans made its way into Zack's room, he could feel his entire room vibrating as the music was intended for the entire moving party to hear and enjoy. Zack, however, could not appreciate the music at all.

In all their loud glory, the movers opened the back of the van and proceeded to unload every piece of furniture and every box inside. They yelled at each other, wondering where certain items belonged, yelling for help as objects were too heavy. A couple of _"PIVOT!_ " cheers echoed through the otherwise soothingly quiet street.

The blond let out a very annoyed groan as he tossed his blankets off his body and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "You've got to be kidding me..." He muttered as he crawled out of the comfort of his bed and headed for the window, glancing down at the ruckus down. "Really? Now?" It was beyond his comprehension, selfishly, as to why people had chosen to move into the old Spano residence today. One day before the new school year, and at this - for Zack - ungodly hour of ten in the morning. Zack watched as men in matching overalls continued to lift furniture and boxes from the van towards the house. A few minutes later, another car parked behind the vans and three more people got out.

There was a man, possibly somewhere in his very late thirties or early forties, with brown hair that seemed to have started to fade on the sides, as well as a younger man who looked the same age, if not a tad older, than Zack himself. His brown hair was styled with a taper fade and his build seemed quite muscular, even bulkier than Slater. Zack assumed he was a jock. His eye caught of light of the third and final person getting out of the car. The only girl in the company who seemed to be about his age and from a distance was probably the same height as Lisa. Her dark locks were tied into two low hanging braids that reached just past her shoulders. Though the three of them hovered around the car for a moment, his eyes were glued to the girl below. Zack was known to be a heartbreaker himself, chasing after every girl that caught his eye until he had his eyes set on Kelly. With his battle for her love now lost, Zack was a free man and couldn't help but feel interested in seeing the fresh face in town.

The man told the two teenagers some things before marching towards the moving van. The boy seemed to be talking as the girl took in the overall look of the house before her gaze moved to the connecting houses on each side. Her eyes connected with his as he continued staring out of the window, she wore a blank expression as Zack flashed her a charming smile in a first attempt to impress her. The boy by her side turned to look at her as she failed to answer whatever he had been asking, before following her gaze up to the window. A bothered frown etched his brows together as he swung his arm around the smaller girl's frame and pulled her away towards the house.

Zack wondered what his deal was, did the girl bring her boyfriend to move with them or was he dealing with an overly protective brother? Either way, it didn't scare him away from the thought that he totally had a shot with the new girl.

He had never gotten dressed as quickly as he had done, especially not on a Sunday. But Zack didn't want to waste any time on leaving a good impression on the girl he had set his eyes on. After all, the moment this girl would set foot in Bayside, there would plenty of guys trying to pick up on this catch as well as plenty of girls who could ruin his reputation with... well, his scheming reputation. And if it were to turn out the girl was transferred to Valley High, he had plenty of time to scare her with all the rumors he could think of concerning their rival school. All was fair in love and war, right?

Putting on his most charming smile, Zack marched up to the girl who had just emerged from the house and headed for the car to pick up some of the things she hadn't stored in the moving van. He assumed these were fragile or important things she wanted to protect herself.

"Hiya, the name's Zack Morris," he introduced himself as he casually leaned against the car, extending his hand towards the girl. "I'm your personal welcoming committee."

The girl turned to look at Zack with the same blank expression she carried when she stared up at him in the window, then glanced down to his hand. There was a brief moment where her arm moved in order to shake his, but Zack's hand was snatched by a larger, firmer handshake belonging to the young boy that swooped in between them.

"Jordan Connor," He told the blonde firmly, Zack could tell he was tightening his grip on his hand to a somewhat painful level and he had to bite his tongue to avoid reacting. "You live next door, huh?"

"Uh- Y-yes!" Zack replied, somewhat desperately trying to pull his hand out of the handshake before clearing his throat and retrieving his composure. "As your next door neighbor, I just wanted to welcome you to the neighborhood." His gaze then turned back to the slightly smaller girl, another charming grin pulling on the edges of his lips. "And you are?"

"My younger sister, Amelia." Jordan was quick to reply before the girl even had a chance to open her mouth. His tendency to speak for her seemed to slightly annoy the girl as she glared up at him, prompting her elbow into his side.

"I can speak for myself, you know?"

"Just because you can doesn't mean you should... " Jordan replied, rolling his eyes before grabbing another box from the trunk of the car. "Stop wasting time, let's unload and unpack."

Jordan glared at Zack for a moment before walking towards the front door with the box. Both teens stared at him before Zack leaning in ever so slightly. "Is he always this grumpy?"

"Only if he's lacking sleep..." Amelia's voice was accompanied with a soft giggle of amusement which Zack somehow found endearing. "Please excuse him, we've been driving almost non-stop for the last three days just to get here."

"Wow, three days?" Zack repeated with a slight hint of surprise in his voice. "Where you guys from?"

"New York."

"Ah, the big apple, huh?"

She nodded slightly to his statement. "That's what they call it. False advertisement though, the apples are quite averagely sized actually." Amelia's lips parted into an embarrassed smile before shaking her head. "Sorry... That was... A very poor attempt at being funny."

"No! No! Are you kidding?" Zack quickly responded before letting out loud and very obviously faked laugh at the pun. "Averagely sized! It's hilarious!"

"Nice try," Amelia grinned, it was nice that he tried making her feel less embarrassed or awkward by laughing along but honestly, he wasn't fooling anyone.

"So, what school are you going to?"

"Bayside High," Amelia replied which sent Zack cheering internally as he had hoped the girl would be transferring to his school.

"You know, my best friend used to live in that house..." Zack trailed off, looking up at the former Spano residence for a moment before looking at her, "I could totally show you around the house, free of charge!"

"Ah..." She hummed before a soft chuckle escaped her lips. It was obvious what kind of person she was dealing with, he wasn't just being friendly because she moved into the same neighborhood. He was trying to flirt with her, his first giveaway was the overly charming smile he kept flashing her whenever he looked down at her. But Amelia wasn't falling for it. "How very helpful, but I think I can manage to find my way around my own house, thank you."

"You never know, it's a pretty big house and you're new so..."

"I think I can manage, I have a map drawn out and everything!" She couldn't fight the urge to roll her eyes at his persistence, reaching over to grab one of the boxes from the trunk.

"Or, I could help you carry some stuff inside? That looks heavy!" He quickly moved, wanting to take the box from her hands but she pulled away from him.

"It's not that heavy," she assured him. "Besides, we are paying these movers too much money to have you do their work for free."

"Oh, I won't oppose payment!" Zack continued to block her path, throwing in his signature chuckle as he wasn't backing off from his pursuit. Though it amused him greatly that she was trying to play hard to get. "I even take payment in kind, say... A date?"

"Wow, and no time was wasted with that one, huh?" She didn't sound impressed, nor did she sound insulted or annoyed. Actually, Zack couldn't really read her reaction at all which confused him. Normally his antics drew one of two reactions; either people would swoon and fall for his charming smile and words, or he'd get flat out rejected.

"Isn't that why they say no time like the present?"

"Is that why?" Her voice mocked his explanation of which he seemed so convinced. But honestly, she was tired from the move and had plenty of things on her mind to even consider dating, especially since she hadn't even been in town for more than an hour.

"Lia!" Zack wanted to speak but another voice interrupted him and soon the taller, muscular boy was by their side. He couldn't fail to notice that Jordan took care in stopping exactly in between the two of them as if guarding the path to his younger sister. "Is this punk bothering you, or what?"

"Punk?" Zack raised an eyebrow at the insult, turning to the boy with a scoff.

"No, we were actually about to say goodbye." Amelia shook her head, glancing at Zack before throwing him a somewhat apologetic smile. "Thanks for the warm greeting, neighbor. I'm sure we'll see each other at school."

Amelia backtracked a few steps before fully turning around and heading towards the house with the box of belongings. Zack stared at her, his lips once again curling up into a grin as the sudden and unfamiliar sense of actually wanting to go to school in the morning washed over him. His vision was blocked by the slightly taller male who glanced down at him.

"I'll be watching you..." He threatened before heading towards the house himself. "So don't get any ideas, surfer boy!"

"Duly noted." He nodded, backing away ever so slightly as the boy reached over for the final box in the trunk, promptly marching back to the house. Still, Zack was grinning. No, it was a smirk. He had never been this eager to start school, but this was going to turn out to be a great year after all.

 _ **Well there we go, the first chapter of hopefully a long lasting and definitely necessary Saved By The Bell story. Yes, I did write out Jessie and I won't mention a specific season to give myself a bit more creative liberty and avoid quick writers' block. I hope you guys will still like this story after all!**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer:**_ _I do not own Saved By The Bell or any characters, media or anything other related to the canon of the original show. The only things I own are the original characters featured in this story and the plot of the story I have written._

 _ **It's all right, cause we're saved by the bell!**_

Zack was unusually early for school the next morning. He had spent the remainder of the previous day staring out of his window to catch a glimpse of Amelia, trying to figure out where her bedroom was going to be. Of course, he kept his fingers crossed that she would be taking Jessie's bedroom which was conveniently accessible to him through the window. He wasn't going to risk accidentally climbing into her brother's room or the parental room, he wasn't that desperate.

He had been waiting around Belding's office door, hoping to catch the girl as she walked out but by the time the first bell was about to ring, he had yet to see any sight of her.

"Did you get into trouble already, preppy?" Slater couldn't help but chuckle as he ushered his way to the blond. "That has to be a new record."

"I'm bad but not that bad," Zack replied, though shaking his head. No, not even he had achieved a detention slip before the first class had even started.

"So what are you doing, standing here in front of Mr. Belding's office?" Kelly wondered, leaning in as Slater wrapped his arm around her waist. Zack had to resist the urge to roll his eyes, he had admitted his defeat over her heart but still had a long way to accepting it.

"I'm waiting for the new girl to show up," He explained, sounding slightly impatient. He hadn't seen the two teenagers leave for school in the morning, hadn't seen them enter Belding's office nor seen them exit so far.

"New girl, huh?" Slater wondered, his dimples popping out as he carried a mischievous smile. "Is she hot?" His comment earned himself a soft hit to the chest from the smaller brunette, which he replied with an apologetic smile. "What? It was just a question! You're still the hottest, Kel."

"Honestly, _that's_ who you dumped me for?" The blonde scoffed, pointing at his slightly bulkier friend, shaking his head in disbelief.

"How come I haven't heard of this?" Lisa drew the conversation back to the main topic, as the school's biggest know-it-all trendsetter, she was usually the first to know about all the gossip, rumors and changes going on around the school. But she had yet to hear about any new students aside from the standard freshman who wasn't exactly newsworthy.

"They moved into Jessie's home over the weekend, she and her brother are supposed to transfer to Bayside."

"A brother, hm?" Lisa's attention was drawn to the mention of a boy. "Was he handsome? Was he hot?"

"What?" Zack frowned at his other childhood friend, but before either one of them could speak up, the first bell rang signaling it was time for their first class.

"C'mon guys, let's go before we're late." Kelly urged, holding onto Slater's hand as she guided him towards the first classroom, Screech, Lisa and a reluctant Zack following.

↭/↭/↭

Amelia and Jordan had arrived at Bayside about a half hour before Zack had done and had been held hostage in Belding's office for the standard welcoming speech and information about the school rules. How they were encourage to do their best in school and sign up for after-school activities, that if they had any issues his door was always open and - honestly, at some point Amelia had zoned out from the conversation, trying to ignore the somewhat annoying fact that Belding seemed to find his own jokes hilarious when in fact they were on a cheesy dad-level at most.

"I will escort both of you to your first classes from which one of your classmates will show you around for the remainder of the day." Belding finished, rubbing his hands together in excitement. "I'm sure you'll be calling Bayside your home in no time!"

"I'm sure we will, Mr. Belding," Jordan nodded, faking his most polite smile. Amelia glanced at her older brother, he was so easy to read and most likely had stopped listening around the same time she had but had the polite courtesy to pretend to go along with whatever their new principal had said.

"Are you excited?" He now turned to Amelia, awaiting her reply as she stared back at him for a moment. Honestly, he had to be the most upbeat principal ever.

"A-ah… Yes, very excited, Mr. Belding!" She nodded, flashing her own polite smile to humor him. But did this man really believe a teenager like her would seriously be excited about going to school, much less one she just transferred to?

"Great! Then let's get you kids to class!" His smile widened as he stepped away from behind his desk and headed for the door, marching out with big proud steps.

"Is this guy serious?" She couldn't help but whisper to her brother as the two of them tagged after him. "I think he's a few fries short of a happy meal..."

"Lia, be nice," Jordan chuckled softly at his sister's questioning. He could appreciate the principal trying to hype up something that most students loathed, in an attempt to make them feel at home.

"I am! I'm just saying-"

"This is your first class, Jordan if you would wait here, I'll go introduce your sister to her new peers." Belding stopped, his hand already on the knob of the door as he gave the wood a few knocks before entering the classroom.

"It was nice knowing you, big brother..." Amelia sighed somewhat dramatically before following Belding into the classroom.

↭/↭/↭

The first class of the year was English and just like the previous years was taught by Mrs. Simpson, the older and nearly deaf British woman with a love for anything Shakespeare. Most students didn't mind her classes as they were usually spent just chatting and hooking up, seeing as their teacher was unable to hear anything under a shouting level.

The knocking on the door by Mr. Belding went fully unnoticed by the older teacher as she continued writing a sonnet on the blackboard. He proceeded to the class and stopped right next to the teacher.

"Good morning, Mrs. Simpson, excuse me for interrupting your class." he cleared his throat in a semi-polite attempt to grasp the teacher's attention, who continued writing. "Mrs. Simpson?"

Amelia had followed after him, feeling as awkward as a person could feel in any new situation. Even though no one had bothered to look up when Belding himself entered, the new girl had piqued quite a few people's interests.

"Bro, that's the new girl!" Zack whispered to Slater, who was seated one seat in front of him.

"Cute outfit, I like her already!" Lisa peeked up, her eyes drawn to the outfit the new girl was wearing. In her eyes, if a person had a good sense of fashion, she would be able to get along perfectly. There was no such thing as too many shopping buddies.

"MRS. SIMPSON!" Belding's voice almost echoed through the entire room as the teacher finally responded. The poor old lady was startled, though not by the sound of her name being called but rather by the fact that Belding had proceeded to inch close to the elderly lady to have his voice be heard. She dropped her chalk and made a startled hop into the air before clutching her chest.

"Mr. Belding! You know better than to sneak up on people!" She practically scolded him, her voice still shaky from being startled. "What can I do for you today, Mr. Belding?"

"My apologies, Mrs. Simpson, I'm just here to introduce the new-."

"What?" The woman leaned in slightly, his tone of voice being too low for her to understand.

Belding let out a long, exasperated sigh. "I AM HERE. TO INTRODUCE. OUR NEW STUDENT."

Mrs. Simpson waved her hand in the air, almost insulted at the fact that she was being yelled at, "No need to shout, Mrs. Belding. I can hear you just fine."

It took Belding a moment to keep his calm before turning to the class. "Class, this is your new classmate!" He then turned to Amelia, "Good luck, kid!" After which he marched out of the class.

Amelia followed him with a somewhat curious look but returned to face the elderly lady as Belding promptly shut the door behind him. "Welcome, dear. What's your name?"

"Amelia Connor, ma'am."

"Class!" The elderly woman piped up, turning to the other students with a very righteous smile on her face. "Meet your new classmate Maria Banner!"

"Not even close..." Amelia muttered, the name her teacher had misunderstood was quite far off from her real name but since she didn't feel like making a spectacle out of herself by shouting out her own name, she just accepted her fate and prepared herself to correct plenty of her fellow peers once she had the chance.

"Now, let's see… Where would be a good place to sit?" Mrs. Simpson hummed as her eyes hovered over the seats in the classroom.

Zack got up from his seat with his hand raised. His lips had curled into a mischievous smirk as his eyes met hers. "There's a free spot next to me, Mrs. Simpson!"

Amelia stared at him, recognizing their next door neighbor though he left quite an unforgettable first impression with his persistence the other day.

"Now, now, Mr. Morris, class has just started," Mrs. Simpson replied, completely missing his suggestion for the new girl to take a seat next to him and interpreting his raised hand as another inquiry. "There will be no bathroom breaks until the bell rings."

"Oh, no… I don't have to go to the bathroom, Mrs. Simpson, I just-"

"Mr. Morris, I said no bathroom breaks until after class, now please sit down." Mrs. Simpson's voice turned slightly more stern, which was amplified with her British accent. Zack gave up, sinking back into his head while sneaking a quick glance over to the girl in front of the class who seemed to be hiding an amused grin.

Amelia was seated at the empty chair at the front of the classroom, much to Zack's dismay, and spent the remainder of the class trying to keep up with whatever Mrs. Simpson was babbling. She enjoyed English class, it had always been one of her favorite subjects but it wasn't the subject itself that kept her amused. To her, Mrs. Simpson was a very lovable person, albeit with her occasional quirks such as the misunderstanding in a conversation or her constant scolding that _one should not raise their voice to be heard as if the world is deaf_ when speaking at a normal volume would cause the same misunderstanding.

The bell rang eventually and students were quick to make their way out of the classroom, though it left Mrs. Simpson for quite a confused surprise as she failed to hear it ring in the first place. How students never came up with the idea of just pretending the bell rang and get out of class early was a mystery, really.

"Hey! Hey, Amelia!" Zack caught up with the new girl who left the classroom and proceeded to try and figure out where her next class was going to be. Again, he tried to charm her with his signature smile, something many girls had fallen head over heels for but she seemed to be one of the few that managed to resist so far.

"Oh… Zack, was it?" Amelia asked carefully, vaguely remembering the name in the back of her head.

"The one and only!" Crossing his arms, he leaned against one of the lockers casually. "So, welcome to Bayside! Stick with me and I'll show you the best places to hide and make out!"

"Oh, so you're my personal welcoming committee here too, hm?" She mused, once again resisting the urge to roll her eyes at his antics. It somewhat amused her how this boy seemed to have no shame whatsoever in confidently flirting with her so shortly after her arrival. She had heard a lot about the supposed valley boys, who used their looks, charm, and wittiness to score with as many girlfriends as they could. Zack definitely qualified as such, sure his smile was charming and his quick-wittedness did amuse her so far, but she wasn't going to fall for it that easily. She wasn't the typical valley girl, after all.

"I guess it's your lucky day, huh?" Zack replied, casually snaking his arm around her shoulders as he tugged her along on his path. "The odds of being both my neighbor and my classmate, well, it almost feels like… fate."

"I must admit, I didn't take you as someone who would believe in things like fate and luck," The brunette noted, stepping away from his smooth embrace. "Some might call it… badly timed coincidences."

"Playing hard to get, I see how it is..." Zack feigned hurt at her comment, but he had to admit he enjoyed a bit of a chase. It's what kept his interest in Kelly all this time, any other guy would have given up halfway through but Zack stuck it out till the very end because he enjoyed the challenge and competition he had with Slater. Girls were at his feet, but being a person who often bit off more than he could chew, he actually enjoyed not taking the easy road.

"Zack Morris, you leave our new student alone this instant!" His voice echoing through the hallway prompted a protesting groan from the blond haired student as the two were soon joined by Mr. Belding ready to scold Zack for any and all mischief he had caused.

"C'mon Mr. Belding, I was just welcoming my new classmate! No harm in that, right?"

Belding turned to Amelia with a worried look on his face, she couldn't quite tell if he was being serious or if both of them were fooling her. "Is this boy bothering you? Because if he did, I will personally send him to detention!"

So it seemed Zack must have had quite the reputation as a troublemaker if the principal would threaten with detention that easily. Did that mean there was more to Zack than just flirting and confidence?

"No need for that, sir, Zack was just welcoming me to Bayside."

"Are you sure?"

Zack rolled his eyes, as usual, Mr. Belding found it hard to believe in his innocence. "Cut me some slack, Mr. Belding! I wanted to make a fresh start this year and you accusing me of a misdemeanor is really kicking my motivation."

Amelia glanced over at Zack, taking note of how well he was feigning his insult. The boy was a natural, all tell-tale signs of a real troublemaker. "I am very sure, Mr. Belding."

Belding almost seemed disappointed that he didn't get to send Zack to detention, but surrendered to the answer nonetheless. "Well, alright then. I have found someone who could guide you around on your first day, all your classes align so it will be easier to tailgate."

"Oh, so you mean Zack isn't my welcoming committee after all?" Amelia couldn't help but tease, glancing over at the blonde once again with an amused grin tugging at her lips.

"The offer still stands, like I said, I know all the best places to make-"

"Zack, heel!" Belding ordered, cutting off his advances before turning back to the girl. "No, I picked someone more trustworthy and appropriate. Oh, Kelly!"

As if on cue, Kelly Kapowski turned the corner after having rushed to the gym to get changed into her red and white cheerleading outfit. After all, the first week of school had to be celebrated with lots of school pride and cheer and the cheerleading team took every second they got to practice for the big assembly at the end of the week.

"Yes, Mr. Belding?" Cheerful as ever, Kelly joined the fray as she flashed the principal a sweet smile. Amelia recognized her from English class before, figured she was a cheerleader.

"Would you do me a big favor and show Amelia around today? And keep her away from..." He glanced over to Zack once more. " _Trouble_."

"Sure thing, Mr. Belding," Kelly smiled brightly before looking over at the slightly shorter girl next to her. "It would be my pleasure. It's nice to meet you Amelia."

"Ah… Likewise." Kelly seemed so pure, bubbly and friendly, Amelia admittedly had a bit of an issue adjusting to the radiance of positivity in every word and gesture the cheerleader made. It wasn't a bad thing, though, but it took a bit getting used to.

"Since you two share most of the same schedules aside from the club activities, I'm sure you'll get along nicely." It was a typical adult reasoning to expect that two individuals who happen to have the same mandatory and pre-determined schedule would automatically get along, rather than the two of them bonding over mutual interests. But then again, maybe the two would share some mutual interests.

"I'm sure we will," Kelly agreed before turning to the girl once more. "Come on, let's check out where your locker is first and then head over to our next class."

"Sure..." Amelia nodded hesitantly, mostly out of the sheer awkwardness rather than anything else. Kelly seemed nice, and she wasn't against making a new friend in a new place other than the boy who had been hitting on her since she arrived in town.


End file.
